


Red fox

by DaZeli



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Animal Transformation, Curses, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-02
Updated: 2016-03-02
Packaged: 2018-05-24 09:16:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6148774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaZeli/pseuds/DaZeli
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After they graduated from Samwell, Dex disappeared without a trace.<br/>Years later, Nursey is spending the summer at his cabin in Maine, and he finds a hurt red fox on his porch.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Red fox

**Author's Note:**

> What do you do when you're sick and your brain is floaty on medicine? Write fics of course!  
> Thanks to [saquebecois](sadquebecois.tumblr.com) for betaing this.  
> I still have no idea why I wrote it but hey, it's finished and everything so might as well post it.

Nursey had gone to his parents’ cabin to spend the summer, since the city wasn’t very inspiring this time of the year and he had always found their cabin by the lake to be quite beautiful. He had long since graduated, and he was now quite a well known author and poet, even if he was only twenty-seven. He lived in New York, in a small apartment, but he still enjoyed taking vacations outside of the city.

His parents’ cabin was very deep in the forests of Maine — it had electricity and running water, but no internet, and his phone barely worked unless he went on top of the nearby hill. It was a bit old, but it had this old charm and warmth to it that Nursey couldn’t find in New York. He loved going there to get inspiration and take a break from the buzzing city. Listening to the sound of nature and stargazing were some of the many things he enjoyed about the place.

One morning, as he was making himself coffee, he heard noises from the porch. Probably some sort of animal; he remembered seeing rodents and birds a few times, so he went to check it out. He didn’t find a squirrel or a bird, but a fox. The poor thing looked hurt and was whining like a dog. Nursey decided to try and help the animal, so he went to get a cover so he could pick it up. When he approached, the fox backed away, scared, but it didn’t run away. Nursey was easily able to pick it up and bring it inside.

He took a look and was able to locate the wound; the poor animal had a cut on its back paw and was obviously limping from it. He had watched enough documentaries to know what to do. First he needed to wash the animal, because it was covered in dirt, then he needed to disinfect it the wound, and then he could patch him up.

The fox wasn’t easy to take care of, but it wasn’t a pain either. It was mostly just scared; but once Nursey was done, and he made it nice and comfy in a box with a pillow and a cover, the fox stopped whimpering and curled up into a ball to rest. Nursey thought that it was adorable. He left out a bowl of water and some meat for the fox before going back to whatever he had planned on doing that day.

Surprisingly, the fox didn’t do much. It ate the food and drank the water, but it mostly just slept. It was still scared whenever Nursey approached him, but it didn’t bite or growl at him. Nursey was actually able to pet it. The fox reminded him more of a dog or a cat than a wild animal, that was for sure, but once the fox was better, he would still put it back into the wild where it belonged. Foxes were allowed as pets in certain states, but he was pretty sure that bringing a fox to New York City was a bad idea — and probably illegal.

Still, he wished he could keep it.

-*-

Over the next few days, the fox got better and started running around more. Nursey had learned that the fox was a male. He would mark his territory near the cabin when Nursey would let him out, so he could do his business if he needed, like a dog; except the dog was making weird noises at 2 am and was running around for no reason. But like a dog, the fox would always come back to him.

Even when Nursey released him after two weeks, he was surprised to find the fox on his porch the next morning, waiting for him. Nursey would give him food and leave some outside. He didn’t let the fox inside, but he would hang around the cabin and follow Nursey around when he went out to the lake. Nursey would pet him, and the fox would roll around like a happy dog and let out small noises that sounded like barking.

Although he found it adorable, Nursey knew he couldn’t let the fox rely on him; he wasn’t at the cabin that often, and he couldn’t come during the winter at all because of how secluded it was. So he had to make his message clear to the fox that he should go back to the forest.

So he left the cabin for a week, thinking that when he came back, the fox would have returned to it’s habitat.

But it didn’t work, because when he did come, the fox was right there on his porch, waiting for him.

“Are you even a fox or are you a dog in disguise?” Nursey said to himself.

He gave some food to the fox and eventually let him inside the cabin again. The truth was that Nursey felt lonely sometimes, and the fox reminded him of an old friend who disappeared after graduation.

They hadn’t just lost contact — his friend, Dex, had literally disappeared from the face of the Earth. The police had been involved but nobody was ever able to find him. He assumed Dex would be dead by now, or that if he was alive, he was far, far away.

The thought of Dex made him sad; Nursey had always had feelings for the redhead. Dex’s disappearing like that, all of a sudden, for no reason, before Nursey could even confess anything, had left Nursey with a weight on his heart he could never get rid of, no matter how many poems he wrote about Dex or for him.

The fox must’ve felt his sadness, because he came to curl up next to him on the couch. Nursey petted him mindlessly, thinking about the past and writing down a few verses about his feelings for the hundredth time.

“Where are you, Dex?” he murmured to himself that night before falling asleep.

That night, he had a beautiful dream about his long-lost friend, of them together after Nursey confessed. When he woke up with tears in his eyes in the middle of the night, he found the fox curled up against him in an adorable little ball of red fur. He looked at the animal, smiled softly, and went back to a dreamless sleep.

-*-

One day, Nursey had to go to town to buy groceries. He left out some food for the fox before leaving. The nearest town was about an hour away. It was early in the morning, the fox was still sleeping, and he hoped he wouldn’t find his placed trashed when he planned to come back around noon.

When he came back, he did find the place trashed. He sighed and made his way to the kitchen to put the groceries away.

When he entered the room, he didn’t expected to find his missing friend and crush standing there, confused and naked. The noon sun shone through the window and reflected in shades of gold on Dex’s body. Nursey gasped and nearly dropped his groceries, which he quickly put on the nearest counter. Dex turned around to face him, their gazes locked and for a moment, and they did nothing but stare at each other.

“Dex…?” Nursey asked, not believing what he was seeing.

Dex nodded, and Nursey could feel himself tearing up. He went straight for a hug, not caring that Dex was somehow there, naked and in his kitchen.

“Where were you? Everyone thought you were dead…” Nursey said.

“I — it’s a long story… I’ll tell you everything, but can you please lend me some clothes?” Dex asked him.

Nursey ended the hug and blushed, running to his bedroom to get some clothes for Dex. Once he was all dressed up, he noticed how thin Dex actually was; Nursey’s clothes were floating on him, and he would’ve barely recognised him if not for Dex’s face. Nursey put the groceries away before making lunch. Dex devoured his food before telling him everything.

Apparently, he had been cursed and turned into a fox years ago. He had been stuck like that since then, and he somehow managed to find Nursey after getting hurt in a trap. He had no idea how, but he became human again just a few hours ago while Nursey was away.

“You should stay here for a while,” Nursey said. “You’re in pretty bad shape.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Dex said. “Y’know, for taking care of me and stuff.”

“No problem. I’m just glad you’re alive.” Nursey smiled.

He couldn’t believe Dex was alive and well, in his cabin, and that he had been the fox the whole time. It sounded like a weird fever dream, but if it was a dream, then it was extremely lucid. Dex was indeed right there — he could touch him and talk to him and it meant so much to Nursey.

It meant he still had a chance.

Now, Nursey wouldn’t confess right away. Dex had just came back from being a wild animal, and the last thing he needed was to deal with these feelings. He needed to prepare to come back into society and see his parents and try to explain where he had been. It was a lot for him, and Nursey knew it. He would do his best to help Dex.

The next few days he spent at the cabin, he was mostly just reintroducing Dex to life and other things he had forgotten over the years. Dex remembered pretty much everything, so it was relatively easy, except that Dex would sometime act like he did when he was a fox; it was mostly showing affection. He would often cuddle with Nursey, and he would always sleep in his bed.

“You know, as much as I appreciate the displays of affection, this isn’t the kind of stuff you usually do with a friend,” Nursey told him once.

“What if I don’t consider you a friend? What if I think of you as more than just a friend?” Dex asked him, blushing bright red.

“Then I’d be totally okay with it,” Nursey smirked.

Dex smiled at him gently, and Nursey smiled back. Before he could do anything else, Dex kissed him softly. Nursey was surprised but kissed back none the less.

This really felt like a dream to him, because he had dreamed of this moment so many times. He thought it was only a fantasy, but it was happening. Right now, they were kissing like there was no tomorrow.

When they pulled apart, Dex was the first one to talk.

“I — I always wanted to do this — when we were at Samwell, but I never let myself. After spending all these years stuck in the woods, I thought that whatever might happen now can’t be worse than what I’ve been through,” Dex said as he rested his head on Nursey’s shoulder.

“I always wanted that too, I wanted to tell you I loved you, but you disappeared. I thought that maybe if I had done it sooner, you’d still be there.

“But you’re here now, and I’m not letting you slip away again,” Nursey said as he held Dex close, “I loved you so much back then, and I still do. I was never able to get over you. I missed you so much…”

“I love you, too,” Dex said, smiling, resting his weight on Nursey.

“You’re still too weak. Go rest, and I’ll make you something to eat,” Nursey told him.

Dex agreed and went to sit on the couch. Nursey brought him something to eat a moment later and sat down next to him. Dex ate everything; he was still thin, but he was looking better than when he first reappeared. But once he was be back in shape, what were they going to do?

“I don’t know what I’ll do, Nursey,” Dex told him. “Like, I need a job and a place, and I don’t know if I remember everything I learned at school… How will I get around?”

“Well, first, we’ll go tell your parents that you’re alive and well, then you can move in with me if you want. You can find a job in New York,” Nursey told him as they cuddled.

“You’d want me to come live with you?” Dex asked, smiling.

“Chyeah. I missed living with you, and you’re sort of my boyfriend now,” Nursey said, smiling back.

“Then yeah, I’ll move in with you. I missed you, too. I missed everyone,” Dex said, nuzzling Nursey’s collarbone.

They stayed like that, cuddling and talking, until Dex fell asleep.

-*-

After a few weeks, when summer was getting to its end, Nursey and Dex went to the Cape to meet with Dex’s parents. They were very happy their son was back, alive and healthy. Dex didn’t wait to break the news that he and Nursey were together and that he would move in with him in New York and find himself a job.

They were a little upset at first, but they accepted their son’s decision. He was an adult, after all.

Dex packed his stuff, spent a few more days with his parents, and then he left with Nursey for New York. His jaw almost dropped when he saw the apartment; it was nice, modern, and fancy. It looked extremely expensive, and Dex wanted to pay his part of course, but Nursey wasn’t having any of it; he was the famous author there, so he was going to pay like he always had. All Dex had to do was find a job and help with a few things.

As soon as they were settled in, Nursey started writing about how happy he was with Dex, and the mood of his books were much brighter than they used to be. He became more popular toward the public. He wrote a best seller out of Dex’s story, and Dex was so pleased for him.

Dex was able to find a job relatively easily despite the years he had spent in the wilderness. He looked so much happier, and Nursey could see him glow with pride when he came home, talking about how he was able to fix something or create a network or something like that. Nursey was so glad Dex was there with him, and he couldn’t imagine his life without him anymore.

They got married two years later, and their lives remained pretty much the same. When they retired in their 60’s, they had inherited the cabin from Nursey’s parents and decided to move there. It was calm and away from everything, so it was really just the two of them. They had some renovations done so they could live there in the winter as well and skate on the lake.

When they found an abandoned baby fox on the porch, they immediately adopted it, and it felt like everything went full circle. It was ironic, but they loved irony.


End file.
